Old School Meets Near-future in Co-op Platform Shooter Hollowpoint

Paradox Interactive has announced a new shooter from Scotish developer Ruffian Games (Crackdown 2) called Hollowpoint, which combines 2D side-scrolling action with 3D targeting. In the near-future world of Hollowpoint, Mega Corporations hire Organizations made up of skilled Operatives to do their dirty work in all-out corporate warfare. Players build and control their own Organization, taking on missions alone or with up to three friends.

Destroying enemies earns experience for each Operative, which in turn awards skill points that can be used to upgrade abilities via a Tech Tree. Since there is a cap to the number of skill points an Operative can earn, you'll have to choose wisely to create a squad with varying abilities. Destroying enemies also earns you Credits, as does completing missions. Credits can then be spent on Asset Packs from the Market, which can contain new Operatives, weapons, equipment, powerups, and upgrades. "Asset Packs come in various different forms, with some focused entirely on one type of Asset, with others being a mix. The more Credits you spend on a Pack the more likely you are to get more valuable Assets to apply to your Organization."

All that is certain to keep players engaged and coming back for more, but it wouldn't mean anything if the gameplay wasn't solid. As I said earlier, Hollowpoint takes a rather unique approach, combining 2D side-scrolling with 3D targeting. And if you think that simply means 2D traversal interspersed with 3D combat, think again. Combat will actually take place all around you; you'll need to deal with enemies directly in front of you on the 2D plane, while other enemies attack you from the "background". To increase replayability even further, the environments are procedurally generated and the missions are chosen dynamically as you play.

Hollowpoint will be arriving on PC (via Steam) and PlayStation 4 (via PSN) sometime in 2015.